Best listening volume?

In terms of sound level, I believe those two amps have the same gain so same volume control setting for same sound level, but in terms of sound quality, you’d have to try!

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The ‘sweet spot’ is ‘somewhere in the middle’ - so that you avoid clipping at one extreme, and the noise floor at the other (and potentiometer nonlinearity if you’re using a Naim preamp… ). It’s gain staging - using the ‘right’ amount of gain at any point in the signal path for the next stage of amplification.

As @Innocent_Bystander says, (nearly) all Naim power amps have the same gain of (I think) 29dB.

As far as actually setting a listening level, I’m with @thirdEze - effectively, turn it up until it sounds ‘right’ for the specific recording. That might be ‘realistic’ level, but the mixing and mastering will have taken account of what can actually be acheived in a replay chain, such that it should sound ‘right’ at practical levels. Don’t damage your hearing!

Don’t forget it’s all an illusion - making your walls disappear requires a lot of smoke and mirrors!

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Now that is interesting and something I hadn’t realised.
So if I connect my 552 to my nap 90, and then to my 300dr, both then connected to a compliant easy to drive speaker pair, the volume will be the same, at the same setting?
The influence of different wattage at the amp will have no effect on volume?

I may( should) notice a difference in sound quality, control etc?

Exactly that, with any speakers of identical sensitivity, and in the same pkace in your room. Though also with the more powerful amp you also have more headroom for peaks, and you can play louder before clipping.

IIRC the NAP500 is the odd one out of Naim’s classic line up, with slightly different gain (can’t remember if 1 or 2 dB difference).

And I think many other power amps from other brands have similar gain.

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Mmmm, Naim 140 or 250 power amps have no 9 or 12 o’clock, just on and off. The pre amp determines the appropriate listening level which, in my experience varies as much as the music being played, the time of day etc

Pre amp on naim. Obvs.

This is very true, 9 o’clock on my previous Musical Fidelity Preamp is nothing like as revealing as the same position on my Townshend Audio Allegri_+. The mastering of the material also can have a major impact on this, I have listened to older CD recording at 10/11 but 6/7 with newer masterings.

Not quite sure what you’re getting at, as how revealing an amp is is not inherently related to volume level, the subject we’re discussing. As for mastering, yes indeed some can be significantly better than others, though if you are finding some louder I am moved to wonder if that is simply the “loudness wars” at play.

Personally I have found that remastering does not necessarily offer an improvement in musical enjoyability, though perhaps it depends on which one hears and loves first - but that is a whole different subject.

for me the best listening volume is rarely achievable unless the good lady is not in the house :rofl:

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In terms of systems, some will be more revealing than others, even at lower listening volumes, I find my current system brings out more of the recording at a much lower volume level. When we consider mastering, loudness wars definitely play a part, most remasters do tend to be louder, some earlier CDs actually used the vinyl mastering, happily, some remasters are an improvement, dynamic range isn’t being crushed but technology advances and better DACS are improving the overall quality of the CD. Steven Wilson remixes/mastering to my ears sound especially good when listening to mine Jethro Tull / Gentle Giant remasters.

Bizarre to factor in position of dial…
Unless the amp is clipping it isn’t relevant IMO

Or just shut your eyes and don’t look at it :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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